After four weeks of play, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray (11) is just outside the top five in Paul Myerberg's Heisman rankings. / Dale Zanine, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

A weekend short on high-profile matchups â?? think Alabama and Texas A&M, for instance â?? prevented a major shakeup among the leading contenders for the 2013 Heisman Trophy. Some contenders, like Oregon's Marcus Mariota, were idle. Others, like Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater, again feasted on inferior competition.

So perhaps Clemson and quarterback Tajh Boyd should be rewarded for defeating a conference foe in North Carolina State, though Boyd's performance, while successful, was not up to his recent standard. Likewise, Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon tore through Purdue's defense in the Badgers' Big Ten opener. Is a Heisman-caliber performance against Purdue worth more than an easy win against SMU?

With four weeks of the 2013 season in the books, here are 10 leading contenders for the Heisman:

Mariota has been near-flawless during Oregon's 3-0 start, showing the sort of progression and increased confidence most expected during the sophomore's second season as the Ducks' starting quarterback.

4. Alabama QB AJ McCarron (Last week's ranking: No. 2)

Season stats: 50-of-78 for 702 yards; six touchdowns, two interceptions

It wasn't a banner day for Alabama, but that can be excused: The Crimson Tide sandwiched a date with Colorado State and old friend Jim McElwain between the win against Texas A&M and a matchup with Mississippi. McCarron still had another successful game after his sloppy start against Virginia Tech.

5. Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater (Last week's ranking: No. 4)

Season stats: 79-of-110 for 1,214 yards; 14 touchdowns, one interception

Bridgewater had four touchdowns passes and five incomplete passes against embarrassingly inept Florida International. This is going to happen all season against a weak American Athletic Conference schedule.

6. Georgia QB Aaron Murray (Last week's ranking: No. 8)

Season stats: 59-of-82 for 1,040 yards; seven touchdowns, two interceptions

Georgia allowed North Texas to hang around before Murray and the offense put their foot down. Murray ended the day with 408 yards, the third-highest single-game total of his outstanding career.

7. UCLA QB Brett Hundley (Last week's ranking: No. 7)

Season stats: 61-of-92 for 848 yards; eight touchdowns, three interceptions; 32 carries for 157, two touchdowns

Beyond his numbers, Hundley deserves recognition for the way he's helped lead UCLA and its offense through a difficult period following the death of redshirt freshman wide receiver Nick Pasquale. Hundley's big-game performance against Nebraska â?? a game the Bruins dedicated to Pasquale â?? is one of the best by a quarterback in school history.

8. Baylor RB Lache Seastrunk (Last week's ranking: No. 9)

Season stats: 38 carries for 417 yards, six touchdowns

Like a wind-up toy, Seastrunk steps out of the locker room and chews up 150-plus yards on the ground and multiple scores â?? and then sits for most of the second half. He averaged 15.6 yards per carry in a 70-7 win against Louisiana-Monroe.